Richland County Home Ownership Assistance

*** The down payment assistance program is temporarily on hold. Please keep checking the website for the latest update.

Goal

The goal of the Richland County Home-ownership Assistance Program is to provide down payment and closing cost assistance to make home-ownership possible in Richland County. To receive an application of assistance, an individual or family must attend an Orientation.

Program Priority

Richland County Community Development, RCHAP program's priority is to make home-ownership opportunities available to low-to-moderate income households.  The assistance is given in the form of forgivable loans, up to $10,000 is available to be applied to down-payment and/or closing costs for the purchase of a single-family dwelling. 

Qualifications to be eligible

• Must be a resident of South Carolina
• Cannot have a contract on a house until after completing program requirements
• Must be qualified as a household of low to moderate income; our program uses the 80% limits. (limits change yearly)

Eligible Properties

• Must be a single - family detached dwelling located in Richland County, but not located within City limits of Columbia. 
• The selected properties must be built after 1978. 
• Each property must be able to pass a rigid inspection that will guarantee the home is livable, safe and does not require immediate repair.
• Max purchase price: Existing home price: $181,000 & New Construction: $251,000

Loan Description

• The assistance will be provided as a deferred, forgivable, second mortgage.
• Approved applicants must live in the home for five (5) years from the time of closing for the loan to be forgiven. (If the applicant does not use the home as the primary residence for the five-year period, the assistance must be repaid based on a prorated formula.)
• The maximum Loan amount is up to $10,000

Program Requirements

PLEASE FOLLOW THE STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS TO AVOID DISRUPTION IN THE APPLICATION PROCESS

Pre-Orientation Checklist

• Please ensure that your annual income does not EXCEED the 80% limits presented on the table above
• No contract is to be ratified on a home without acceptance into the RCHAP program
• If you are working with a realtor, make sure they are knowledgeable of the RCHAP process to maximize efficiency in the home buying process
• Must be able to secure a mortgage, independent of a co-signer (Pre-approval letter must be within 30 days of the issued date for application submission)

STEP 1: All applicants must attend the RCHAP Program Orientation to receive the official RCHAP application.  Please note the updated policy for orientation attendance, online registration is required. 

Click here to view the 2022 RCHAP Program Orientation schedule

*Registration will open PROMPTLY at 8:00 AM through EventBrite.

STEP 2: Once you've received the RCHAP application, you must attend the home buying classes.  You may attend classes after orientation.

STEP 3:  After attending the RCHAP Orientation and the home buying classes, you may submit the application.  Please refer to the application checklist you received during the RCHAP Orientation with the required paperwork needed to submit your application. No application will be accepted without ALL the required documents, including:

STEP 4:  Once the application is submitted with ALL the required paperwork, the application process takes up to 45 business days. Please note the application approval time when considering your home-buying process.  

All applicants will receive written notification when the processing of the application is complete.

FAQ's (click here to view)

RCHAP Policies and Procedures (click here to view)

Applications will be submitted through the online portal. You will receive access once you attend orientation.

For more information, call (803) 576-2089.

• Please continue to check our website for updated information.